A Chance Encounter
by Reasonably Firm Eggs
Summary: A newly employed otaku has the encounter of a lifetime.


His mouth didn't work. It simply refused. Before him stood King, S-Rank Hero, the strongest man in the world. He wore a white hoodie and black baseball cap, but his identity was undeniable. The chiseled chin and sharp cheekbone, but most importantly, scars that ran from forehead to cheek, running over his right eye marked him as the most powerful man to ever live.

To think that he, a lowly otaku, newly employed cashier at a small games store, was standing directly before the legendary King. He might've had to the resist the urge to rub his eyes in disbelief if his arms weren't convulsing with fear.

"K-K-K-K-K-K... hahuhehu..."

He couldn't even say a single word, his lungs were rapidly hyperventilating in sheer terror. All the while, King stood, his face an impassive granite wall.

He continued to laugh, cry and choke simultaneously. His self-control had huddled itself into a corner the moment King had come up to the cash register, but his mind shut down completely once he saw what King was holding, with the obvious intention of purchasing.

_Doki Doki Sisters 2: The Transfer Student Twins_. The newest, hottest, and highly anticipated visual novel dating simulator, sequel to the immensely popular _Doki Doki Sisters_.

He wanted to stop himself, close his mouth and take deep breaths, but the longer he stood panicking, the louder the King Engine grew. The sound of its terrifying beats was like seeing the Reaper slowly striding towards you, each palpitation a single step closer.

King's stony face lacked all expression.

Tears began to form as his imminent death flashed before his eyes. No one had actually ever seen King fight, but the rumors were terrifying. There was nothing left, they said, after he finished with you it was like you had never existed in the first place. These thoughts broke the dam, and he began to cry freely. Through the tears he could see King open his mouth so he shut his eyes and braced for merciful oblivion.

Then, through the fog of fear, salvation arrived.

"Hello Sir!" Came a shaky voice.

It was the owner, an otaku like him, blessed with the social skills to run a store.

The owner swept him aside. He took the game from King's hands, scanned it, charged it, and bagged it in a single fluid motion of less than a minute.

"Have a good day Sir!"

King said nothing, only nodding and reaching to take the bag. He left like a beached shark might leave after rescue, disappearing rapidly into the depths.

It was a whole five minutes before he could speak again.

"K-K-K-King. King. King." He repeated. The experience could have been dismissed as a fever dream, if not for his boss standing at the register sighing.

"Th-that was K-King?" He asked, the stutter not fully out the his system.

The owner exhaled heavily before responding.

"Yes. That was King."

"B-but, why?"

"He comes here every now and then to buy the newest dating simulators."

"Wha?"

"I don't know either. All I do know is that when he first started coming here, I had the same reaction as you. Except when he walked in, the King Engine was already roaring. I was too scared to speak, until I realized that if I didn't do anything, he'd likely kill me and wipe my shop off the face of the Earth. So I processed his purchase and got him out as fast as possible." He paused, mind consumed by memory.

"After that he kept coming. Got more comfortable I guess, because one day he came in and I couldn't hear the King Engine at all. And that's how King became a regular here."

The owner's explanation didn't clear up his confusion, but one burning question remained.

"Doki Doki?"

"He likes dating simulators. I'm not going to hold it against him, the man could probably kill me with the sound of his King Engine alone. Crazy right? Who would of known that King was one of us, huh?"

He took a moment to process his thoughts before coming to a decision.

"I quit," he said shakily, "I quit." Fuck trying to reintegrate into society, nothing in the world could make him deal with this on a regular basis.

The owner nodded sadly.

"I don't blame you."

He took off his uniform, handed it to the owner, and stumbled out.

As he left, he heard the owner call out.

"Don't mention this to anyone. I don't need to tell you why."

He shook his head and began his walk back to his apartment. Hopefully today's newest _Mob Pyscho 100 _episode would help him relax.

* * *

King walked with singular purpose. He held in his hands the newest edition of the _Doki Doki Sisters_ series, and he could not wait to play. Aside from the new cashier at his usual games shop, the day had gone on without a hitch. Hopefully there wouldn't be another giant robot waiting to challenge him.

The walk back home and subsequent elevator ride was a blur, his mind lost in anticipating his newest game. His key went smoothly into the door lock, the door slid open fluidly. His console was in sight, waiting for the newest game to be inserted.

Except his TV was already on.

"Oh," he said, "Saitama. Did I leave the window open again?"

"Yeah."

"Could you wait by the door next time, instead of breaking in?"

Saitama ignored his request, eyes focused on the bag King carried.

"Whatcha got there?"

"Nothing much," King deflected, "so you wanna play a fighting game?"

Saitama raised an eyebrow at his deflection, but elected not to say any further comments.

"Yep."

King really wanted to play his new game now, but it could always wait. Besides, it was always entertaining to see what kind of new spam tactics Saitama had come up with this time.

King set aside the bag, sat down, and grabbed a controller.

"Alright. To make things easier, I'll only use special attacks. No regular attacks."

Saitama's eyes widened.

"You're on!"


End file.
